Observing Lent at First Church

LENT is a season of special depth at First Church in Cambridge. We begin with a beautiful and solemn evening service “under the dome” in the Sanctuary on Ash Wednesday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m. Each year we observe the forty days leading up to Easter with opportunities to gather for intentional study and spiritual practice. Stayed tuned to the "Latest News at First Church" on our homepage and watch First Glance and the Sunday worship bulletins for special Lenten series at our Sunday 10 O’Clock Hours, Tuesday Family Nights (for parents of young children), and other offerings (such as Bible study or a book group).

RESILIENCE, RESISTANCE, AND RISING

Lent and Easter, 2017

Our theme this year is Resilience, Resistance and Rising! Together we will dig deep into age-old spiritual practices that will keep us grounded in our faith while also engaged in our wider world. Through it all we will seek to live the message of the risen Christ that love is stronger than fear, stronger than empire, stronger than death itself. Consider making a commitment to a spiritual practice of resilience, resistance, and rising this Lent. Choose one or choose a few practices from the lists below. God assures us that we are not alone on this journey, no matter how fearful or uncertain the future. Join us these 40 days, as we seek together to follow Jesus on the road to Jerusalem.

Ø Learning Together ― At 10:00 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. every Sunday in Lent

Ø Praying Together ― In Morning Worship, at Night Song, and during Holy Week a Space Between

Ø Breathing Together ― Contemplative meditation on Monday evening

Ø Singing Together ― Join the Choir or the Family Choir or the Bell Choir, and come to Morning Worship on March 26, when we celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Duke Ellington’s Concert of Sacred Music

Ø Reading Together ― Try a fast from Facebook and find some friendly faces to start a book discussion group on an article or book you’ve been reading. Or join a two-session book study on The Tears We Cannot Stop ― A Sermon to White America, by Michael Eric Dyson.

Ø Watching Together ― View and discuss the critically acclaimed film “The 13th,” documenting the progression from slavery to our unsolved contemporary racial issues on March 15.

Ø Marching Together ― Join a First Church crowd at the April 15 Tax Day Protest and in other marches, protests, and training. Keep an eye on First Glance, Facebook, and your Sunday worship bulletin for more details.

Save the dates and gather with the First Church community to walk through the events of Holy Week together, beginning with multigenerational Morning Worship on Palm Sunday, April 9, at 11:00 a.m., continuingwith Maundy Thursday Evening Worship, April 13, at 7:30 p.m., and Good Friday Evening Worship, April 14, at 7:30 p.m., and ending with a joyous multigenerational celebration of Easter, April 16, at 11:00 a.m.